The Flower
by Moonlit Queen
Summary: That was the moment that I first realized how cruel the world truly was. Our lives didn't hold any meaning anymore, we were nothing. We were slaves now; we were forced to forget our pasts, dreams, and accomplishments. We were supposed to become a clean slate for our masters to abuse us with. No longer would I be the Noel everyone had known to exist.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Life used to seem so incredibly perfect in the village that I had always known that resided in the mountains. I found that this all changed once men from the cities found this utopic place I called home. They raided, slaughtering and taking everything in their path. Resistance wasn't the key to your survival. My Grandmother heard the alarms and quickly shook me awake to tell me that she loved me and to do as I was told, no matter how harsh it was. It was better to do what they wanted, than to have me die in front of her. That's how I found myself on a wagon filled with other people of my kind and how I started the painful journey that I would call my own life.

The wagon ride to the city was in no way considered glorious. They barely cared about us, as long as we didn't all die in the process they thought that any behavior they chose for us would be acceptable. I remember one beautiful woman I had talked to once before, shook and trembled as one man talked about finding a 'whore' in the back that he'd be able to fuck during a break. I could tell she was usually a woman who used to smile frequently due to the lines were etched around her cheeks and lips. I looked at her slowly, trying to comfort her without talking or shaking the chains that bound us all. She seemed to appreciate my effort and tried to give a slight forceful smile, even though the tears were visible in her eyes. I couldn't look at her any longer because each time I did a painful stab to my chest would plunge through me. I felt useless. How could I comfort someone else when I couldn't even keep my own fear controlled?

The hours rolled by, but it only felt like minutes before a man in all black robes with a mask over his face opened the back of wagon. He scanned us all through his intense gazes before finding his victim. I guessed that he was probably the man that referred to fucking 'whores' when they took a break. He chose the girl I had tried to comfort; her gorgeous smile lines became a saddened frown. All of my hopes and dreams shattered with her. As I could hear her screams I could also feel her emotional distress. Was this all our lives would become? Would we be sold just to be someone else's toys? I cringed at the thoughts and tried to focus on what life used to be. I blocked out the girl, the other villagers around me, and anything else that was currently around my location. I had to or else I wouldn't even survive the torturous journey with my soul intact, but my innocence was forever gone. And Innocence is something inside of you that you can never get back once it has left.

My eyes closed slowly as I prayed to a goddess that everything that I was experiencing was only just a horrid nightmare; that in reality I was asleep with my grandmother running her fingers through my hair to calm me from this dream. I repeated this prayer dozens of times, so it eventually felt like it could be reality as I drifted into a sleep. I dreamed of what life would be like if these raiders never came to the village in the mountains.

I imagined that the children would be playing with the animals that they would be watching over, hunters would be getting ready for the celebration that would occur in a few days. I saw myself among these hunters; finally I would be of the age where I could join them, eighteen and a half. I would ready my dual swords as the commander would tell us that we would be going into a forest that was near the outskirts of our village. The excitement would wash over me; the obvious effect over my face.

My grandmother would see me from our home and she would wave with her friendly smile present. I would blow her a kiss and whisper that I loved her under my breath; hoping that the wind would carry my message to her. The drum signifying it was time to hunt would beat and I would turn my heels with the rest of the warriors and disappear into the green nature. Life would seem so perfect, all my dreams and hopes would have been in the future that these men took away from me. I could only imagine what the others around me had stolen from them.

My eyes shot open as I felt a harsh tug at my brown shoulder-length hair. I let out a sharp cry as he dragged me out of the cramped wagon, my feet barely adjusting to walking on the stone terrain. He pushed me toward the others that were lined up; I joined them silently.

"We present you these slaves. Use them as you desire, whether that's for house work, games, or my personal favorite, being your personal whore. Buy them for what their lives were always supposed to be."

That was the moment that I first realized how cruel the world truly was. Our lives didn't hold any meaning anymore, we were nothing. We were slaves now; we were forced to forget our pasts, dreams, and accomplishments. We were supposed to become a clean slate for our masters to abuse us with.

I saw the people of my old home and life being sold left and right. I tried not to think about it, but no matter how much I wanted to push those thoughts of never seeing them again away, they kept coming at me like an arrow. Each one that I saw sold, shot pain through my chest. The man finally came to me, Noel Kreiss.

"How much can I get for this beautiful boy?"

His crooked smile made me nauseous. The anxiety became overbearing. No longer would the Noel everyone had known exist, I would be nothing; I would die as this. The numbers kept increasing as people fought for the stopping price.

"99,000 gil."

The audience became silent; no one else said anything for over three seconds. Before I knew it I was sold. The man with the crooked smile pushed me forward to the two people I'd be calling 'Master'.

**AN:**

**Hey, this story is not going to be very light, as you may be able to tell, so if you cringe at dark and more mature themes please back away now. I was really inspired by those awesome shows about history *cough* Spartans... are cool... and wanted to have a take on what it may have been like for some of the slaves back then. This story is a Caius x Noel x Yeul story (not any true threesome scenes in here, but more like a complicated love triangle... I guess). Lastly, I hope you enjoyed, and no worries I still like you even if you don't read another word of this story (:**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I could see a faint smile under the woman's hood before she removed it. She had long coral hair that flowed slightly passed her lower back. She had beautiful green eyes that showed a slight emotion. She was extravagant and the white cloak complimented her head to toe. I breathed in excitedly, but then I remembered the stipulations of our first meeting. I knew I would never again receive the same communication that I had when I lived in the village. I remembered that as a slave it was bad to look your masters in the eye or speak to them without permission, or so I had heard during the time I spent in the capturer's wagon.

The man remained mysterious to me until later, but at that point I wasn't too concerned about him because I was too busy looking at the sight of the girl in front of me. The man turned and started walking off, which motioned the woman and I to follow him. It was like once I saw her all of my fear and nervousness faded; I wanted to thank her for that. I was glad that even though I had just endured hell that there weren't all bad things in my future, or so I hoped.

We stopped at another wagon, a little more decorative than the last. The wheels weren't made of wood, but a stronger material, like the ones that were used to create swords. The two horses in the front were both pure white; not a spot of dirt could be seen on them. I was glad to see that they had the decency to treat their animals with respect. As we rode I could hear slight talking coming from the two of them. She had a pure voice, kind of angelic if you asked me. He on the other hand had a deep and intimidating voice, but it still sounded slightly beautiful. I was a bit jealous of how his voice was; I bet it could have seduced anyone. I didn't fall asleep on this ride because I was frightened to be woken up with a brutal beating for the action. I was lucky that the first man only tugged me and hadn't beaten me with a stone before I even reached the line. This ride seemed to go fast, most likely because I was in deep thought about the woman. She was quite enchanting, but I knew that nothing could ever become of us, since a master and a slave being in a true love relationship would never be socially accepted.

"Throw away all of your emotions kid, it'll help you when you get there."

What a valuable piece of advice, something I wish that I had put more at the front of my thoughts. The horses stopped and I waited for my masters to say something or command me. It only was a few minutes before the woman told me that we were there and to follow her. Their house was mystical. There were gardens and elaborate decorations on nearly every wall. They seemed to be spiritual in some ways because on one wall there was a painting of the goddess, Etro. It made me feel like I wasn't too far from my actual home.

"Yeul, a word please."

The woman followed him into another room, while I stayed and unintentionally listened in. I couldn't make out everything that they were saying, but I came to the conclusion that they were not agreeing on what to do with me.

"You are the one who wanted him, Yeul."

"Yes, but I don't want to treat him like he's nothing. He looks like he's been through a lot already; I don't want his life to be miserable. "

"Yeul, do you even understand what the point of slaves are?"

"Caius, would you please just… listen. Look him in the eyes, he's been through a lot. It'd be a shame to make a boy as beautiful as him, to go through the life of a 'slave' through your definition of one."

I sensed the frustration that the man, Caius must have been going through, but it was at that moment when I decided that Yeul must've really been an angel that fell from the sky. I zoned from the rest of their conversation, but she must've given in to one thing Caius said, because the next thing I knew he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to another room. I saw Yeul from the corner of my eye, she mouthed 'I'm sorry', as Caius tugged me through different rooms.

"Listen boy, I gave in to most things she said, but just because she doesn't want to treat you like you are just a low slave, doesn't mean that you aren't one. Since you are one, you at least need to be branded."

I didn't understand what he meant by branding, but I figured that it must be a painful process, when he grabbed a cloth and gagged me with it. He tied the part that wasn't in my mouth around the back of my neck and he pushed me down to my knees slowly. He touched my cheek, I glared at him dangerously. He whispered in my ear slowly.

"Try not to scream too loud."

He grabbed a scorching hot rod and looked me straight in the eyes. Forcefully he grabbed my left wrist, while I tried to pull away from him, but he was stronger than I was. The flaming rod came into contact with my skin, my eyes filling with tears as the pain surged through my wrist. I tried to cry out as the cloth muffled my scream. I could feel warm tears rolling down my cheeks. I should have expected that he'd do this to me; I knew that he'd be the master that I wouldn't want to ever piss off. If he treated me like this without saying anything, could you imagine what he could do if I ever did anything wrong? It felt like a lifetime before the rod turned cold and was finally removed from my aching wrist. I looked down through my wet lashes and saw the mark that would be forever etched into my tanned skin. Right on my left wrist, there would forever be a 'C' with an upside down 'Y' surrounded with a circle. He grabbed my chin; our lips too close for comfort.

"I'll warn you of one thing that will certainly make me beat you until you are black and blue. Don't ever touch her, are we clear?"

I nodded, feeling even more lost, confused, and hurt than I had ever been before.

** A/N: Hey, hey again. My friend kept bugging me to write more, so here I am... anywho, I hope you liked this chapter... so bye for now, I guess. Review please, because I like to read comments.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters... forgot to put that in the first chapter... might go back to fix that**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

He left me there, alone to cope with my sorrows. I didn't know what to do. I just wanted my old life back, but I knew that that wish was a vain hope. Even if I was able to go back, nothing would ever be the same as it had been and the same faces I had known would be forever lost to the village. I sat there wondering if anyone who still remained in the village remembered who I was. I wanted to tell myself that they were searching for us, but I knew that they had already accepted that we were among the lost; the ones to never return. I stared at the mark on my wrist again, my tears started to dry on it. The sad reminder that my life was a meaningless hell, I was nothing more and nothing less. I heard petite footsteps pacing towards me. I could see Yeul from my peripheral vision. I could see that she was moved by my current situation, she probably just felt sorry for me. Her knees hit the floor beside me as she curled her arms around me.

"I'm sorry, Noel. I truly am, I know it all must be hurting you."

She whispered softly in my ear. Her warm breath sent goose bumps down my arms and legs. I heard a slight muffled cry, as the tears she held in for me broke loose. Even though we hadn't known each other long, we seemed to have some sort of connection. I realized that she must have had an experience that related considering she seemed to care so immensely about the pain that I was feeling deep inside of me. I wrapped the un-marked hand around her frail fingers; intertwining our fingers as I did so. I needed someone to just hold my hand in that instant. I didn't think too much about what I was doing. She gasped slightly at the sudden motion; however she didn't withdrawal from me quickly. We stayed like that for a few minutes, until she slowly stood up and offered her hand out to me. My eyes were glued to hers as I took her hand to stand.

"Come, I won't treat you like you aren't a person, even if you are a slave. It's not fair, no matter what Caius believes. I know he's wrong about you, but please don't hate him for how he is towards you, it takes him a little bit to warm up to new people."

I tensed at the mention of his name. How could I be expected not to hate him? Did she see how he treated me from the second they bought me? A better question would have been, how could she be so in love with a man like him? Did he even care about her, or anyone?

"Noel, please he's not as horrible as he seems… he really is a good man."

She glanced back at me and smiled, trying to convince herself that everything she had said was true. I shook the thoughts of Caius away from me because I didn't want to infect my mind with curiosity about him. It was unlikely that the way Caius and I felt about each other would change.

"I can't promise anything."

I muttered under my breath and hoped that Yeul didn't hear what I had said. She didn't say anything to me after that, so I assumed she hadn't. It was strange that once she stopped talking, I had already missed her sweet and quiet voice. She led me to a dining room that had a beautiful stone floor with a sun mural hand-painted on it. The ceiling had a moon mural; it was different than what you'd usually expect, since the sun was usually painted on ceilings to represent the glory of morning. In the middle of the room, Caius sat at a huge wooden table with about a dozen chairs set in certain places. In my village most people had a low to the ground table that we sat around on our knees. It was a glorious change of pace. Caius had a smirk on his face as he stared through Yeul and straight into my soul. I wanted to wipe that expression off of his face, but I knew that if I ever crossed him he'd kill me without asking for Yeul's consent. Besides, I wanted to be different than him. I wanted to respect all of her wishes because I never wanted to hurt her. I could still hear the threat he had whispered to me through his smirk. Yeul was off limits and I swore to him that I understood this, but yet I wasn't so sure if I could keep that.

"Noel, would you like to sit here, you will eat here … at the table with us."

"A word please… Yeul."

"Caius, if you have anything to say, please go ahead and say it."

"I wouldn't want to offend our newfound guest."

He said this in a sarcastic way. It seemed to me that he loved throwing out the fact that I was below him every chance that he had. I looked down, already feeling tired of the situation I was in. Yeul smiled at him and kissed his cheek, which made me cringe. I turned away out of jealousy. Yeul told us she'd go get the food and left Caius and I alone for a few minutes. We glared at each other dangerously. The hatred inside of me raging, I wanted to scream at him, but I had to control my attitude.

"How does it feel to not be treated like an animal? You know if Yeul let me you'd be on your knees, sitting on the floor like a dog, begging for even the smallest scraps. Wasn't that how your people used to eat anyway?"

I had a witty response, until he said the last part. My people begging like animals? He crossed a line that would always make my emotions imbalanced.

"I…I…. would never beg for you!"

"Really now, because looking at you shows me that you are weak. Is that how all of your people are or just you?"

I felt like hitting him to shut him up, but he was right. In this game I couldn't do anything and he knew that. I was showing a weakness because he had the power over me.

"You are a disappointment; remind me why we bought you again?"

"I… I don't know!"

"Did I tell you that you could talk to me, maybe I should punish you for that," his smirk returned before he continued, "I guess we'll be alright if you bow down to beg for forgiveness, while calling me Master."

"M… I will never call you 'Master', nor will I ever think of you as one."

"What did you just say? Do you really want me to put you in your place, boy?"

I looked down and realized that I would just have to accept the defeat. I couldn't do anything about this because I knew everything would just become worse and Yeul wouldn't be happy. I didn't look up until Yeul came back into the room because I didn't want to see his victory that would be written all over his face. She sat down across from Caius and smiled with a toothy grin, and then she looked at me. She didn't know anything about what had just happened, but I bet she could've sensed the tension.

**A/N: Hellooooo there! I'd like to thank my friend for giving me all of these lovely ideas, and of course the first Reviewer, Antirrhinum. Anywho, who knows when the next chapter will be up… soon hopefully!**

**Disclaimer: Again, I don't own these characters…. *sigh***

*****Dear Antirrhinum, I wanted to message you, but I thought it would be cool if I responded to you here. I'm glad that you like it despite the darkness and I'm glad that you like the AU that was created for this story. I wanted to explore the weird love that Noel had/ gains with Yeul and Caius, because when I played the game I always kind of thought that he had feelings for both. Of course, he has different relations with both of them in the game, which is something I wanted to explore in this story as well. It's alright that your response is short, I still appreciate it! Thank you for the encouragement, I hope you continue to read this story. (:**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

***Warning for this chapter: sexuality and pedophilia... I guess…*shifty eyes* Nothing too explicit**

Dinner progressed on without Caius saying many words after our earlier conversation, but that smirk of his was always present. It was like he was waiting for the opportune moment to say something that would yet again set off my emotions. I was right to be suspicious of him doing this, because dinner was almost over and he finally asked the question that he had been plotting throughout it.

"So Noel, I know this might be a hard topic, but I'm interested in the answer."

He glanced at Yeul; she had no changed emotion on her face, so he knew she wouldn't be angered if he proceeded. His cold stare once again was directed toward me.

"Tell me about your family."

It was too soon for him to be asking me this because I was trying to adjust to the emptiness without them in my life. I guess that it was better for him to ask now when I was extremely tender about this subject than if he had waited until years from now and resurfaced old attachments. I could feel my blue orbs become watery, but I wiped it away as quickly as possible; hoping that neither of the two noticed.

"Well, I lived with my grandmother. She was quite supportive of me wanting… to… to become a hunter, just like my father had been. I n…never had the chance to meet my mother."

I had tried to swallow the tears to hold back, but the strain in my voice was noticeable. That was all Caius needed to hear in order to know that this topic would break me. I decided to continue anyway in an attempt to not let him burn my pride.

"Was there a special girl in your life," Yeul asked innocently.

"Well, not exactly. I… I wasn't with anyone, but I'm sure there were people that I could've-"

I stopped, wanting to forget about some people I had those relations with. There was a man I used to look up to. He was like my father's brother or so he would often tell me. He was second- in- command to the hunting chief, which gave him quite a lot of power and authority. I would often visit him to ask him questions and admire his position. I almost lost myself all to a bribe.

"Noel, I could get you to any rank you desire in a month or so, after you are of age to join of course."

I was sitting on his shack floor, while he was sitting on a dark bucket, chewing on a piece of long grass. We often talked like this, but I didn't realize how this time would be different. He knew exactly what I'd do anything for, to be something that my father would have been proud of.

"Of course I know that you'd be willing to do anything for this. Your father would have loved to see the day you climbed the ranks and landed on top, like a true warrior."

"I'd do anything to live up to him."

Mistake one was saying that, but I would have never expected what was to come. He chuckled lightly to himself before proceeding. He moved from his seat and kneeled down.

"Really, are you really willing to do anything for this?"

I was about to reply before he licked the shell of my ear. I was confused and hurt that he would mistake me for this, but I wasn't strong enough to stop that before it began. This was a shattered piece of my past that I was hoping no one would ever recover. My father had grown up with this man and even though my father died when I was young, my father had placed the highest trust he had to give in this one man. I looked up to him like a second father, but there he was using what I wanted as bait to have permission to use me for his own sick pleasures. I wanted attention and what he had to offer badly, but I didn't know if this was what I had been asking for.

With his hands upon my chest and his drunken lips against my neck, I closed my eyes and leaned against him. I didn't know what else to do, so I yielded to this until I could find the inner courage to process what was happening. I opened my eyes again when he was sitting in front of me about to kiss my pink lips. I searched for anything to look at but into his eyes, but I couldn't. He came crashing into my lips, parting them instantly. Was I any better than he was? If my father had been alive and seen this, would he be any less disappointed in me than in him? He caressed my cheeks as the kisses became more desperate. I let out slight breaths that indicated my unwanted pleasure.

"Wait, stop. I… I can't. I don't know what I'm doing."

I pushed him back slightly, trying to separate myself from him. He was stronger than I was, so the push barely did any damage, but he was off of my lips at least. He laughed, as he leaned closer to me again.

"It's okay Noel, I'll lead you."

"No… no that's not what I meant. I mean, what am I doing? What are you doing? My father, mother, and grandmother would be disappointed. "

"Noel, in this world if you want something, it's all about who you know."

"I'm not saying that it isn't, but I don't want to be the one who gains everything by sleeping around with the important people… anyone could do that."

"For Etro's sake Noel, you aren't everyone. We don't even have to continue this after tonight, just one night and I swear I'll get you that position. Isn't that all you've dreamed about?"

"Yes, I've dreamed about making my dead family members proud, but this is not the way I want to get there. I want to get there with my own blood, sweat, and tears. I want to get there through my own determination, not because I slept with you once."

I stood up slowly from his grasp and left without turning back once. I knew I probably had that one shot to get what I wanted quickly, but there would have been no honor in how I got there. That was also the night that the raid happened on my village. I wished things between us had been different on the last night I would see my father's friend, but I also wished that instead of being there I had spent more hours at home with my grandmother. I was naïve then.

"Noel, are you alright? We didn't mean to bring up something that you weren't ready to face."

I looked up to see Yeul with a worried facial expression. I must have not heard her through the memory of one of the regrets of my past. I wasn't able to face it yet; I couldn't even look at the beautiful girl in front of me. There was a wet trail down my face. How I wish I had been a better person when I had the chance to be one. I scurried from the table to a room Yeul had told me I would be sleeping from then on. The bed sheets wrinkled as I sat among it, my hands instinctively moved to rest on my forehead. I always seemed to get myself into situations I couldn't handle.

**A/N: this chapter was tough for me, because I wanted to do some sort of flashback, but I wasn't sure what it should be. After discussing with friends, we decided on this one… I hope you continue to read this story, even if it makes you want to just hug le Noel… actually yeah go hug Noel.**

**P.S: Sorry, this chapter took me a while to update with. I had it written, but for some reason I really couldn't decide if I wanted to change it or not. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters… Square Enix does… except for that 2****nd**** in command guy… he's made up (thank Etro!)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Noel, are you alright?"

I looked up to the concerned face that belonged to Yeul. I nodded; I didn't want her to have a worry in her mind. I thought it was a nice thought to have the feeling that someone cared about you; it was something I had been missing for a long time. She smiled, happy about the news I had given her. She probably knew that I was putting on a façade, but she didn't let on to the fact that she knew. She kissed my cheek slowly before turning away toward the door.

"I apologize for the way my husband placed his words, I believe he meant well."

With that she turned her heels and was gone from my sight. I admired her kindness and her heart to defend those in need. At that moment, however, I was still grinning over the fact that she had kissed my cheek. Even though, it wasn't intimate per say, it was something that lit up my night. The mood shifted from depressed self-doubt to a happy pit in my stomach. It was like butterflies had replaced the moths that tormented me. It was at that moment that I realized that I wanted- no needed her with me. I wanted to fight for her affections, but how could I when Caius was already in the picture? He seemed to be the block to the happiness that I would never be able to obtain with him in the way.

I turned over onto my side and chuckled quietly as I thought up ways I could steal her heart away. He could take away what would be able to happen between us, but he couldn't take away the thoughts that were in my mind. At least that had given me some form of a new beginning that I could live with. I began to drift off into a long needed sleep and before I knew it the morning came.

That morning was quite simply Hell. Caius decided it would be a great awakening to throw freezing cold water on my face and body. Even if I was just a slave, he could at least treat me with a little more decency. I let out a slight yelp from the shock and surprise that the cold water did to me. I started to shiver violently.

"You know Noel; you should never let your guard down. Do that, and I'm sure you'll survive me as a master."

Still shaking I was trying to think up a reasonable response, but none of my words were forming correctly due to my chattering teeth. I just glared at him, hoping that he'd get the hint, but I think I came off more pitiful than I had hoped.

"Noel, stop looking at me like a lost puppy, and get up; you've got a lot of shit to do today, so hurry up and get dressed. Oh, and next time, I suggest that you get up before I do. Just be lucky that I decided to throw cold water on you today, but tomorrow might be a completely different story."

He threw me my clothes from the corner and waited outside of the room. Thank Etro that I'm a fast changer, or else I truly would have tested his patience. That day he worked me as hard as he could, just to see where my breaking limit was. When I would finally call it quits, but I didn't want to give him that satisfaction. All he did was command me and watch. It made me feel like a slave, who only worked to please his 'master'. I hated feeling like he truly had command over me. I liked to think that he didn't own me, but the sad truth slowly sunk into my head that day. He treated me like an animal in need of training. I shook off those thoughts and decided to show him that I was more than some animal.

I scrubbed the floor until my arms became numb. I carried cargo from the wagon to the house and from the house to the wagon until my back almost broke from the weight. I bit my tongue to keep me from reacting to his snarky remarks until I could taste my own blood. It took all of my strength to try to show him that I wasn't weak, that I could be reliable. By the night, my plan of being obedient to show him that I could be more than an animal hadn't worked as I had thought. Instead, his remarks got worse. I should've known that they would because instead of yielding to his orders I should've stood my ground to show him I was his equal; instead, I ended up showing him that I would do whatever he wanted.

All throughout the day, I saw Yeul trying to tell him to treat me differently, but Caius was stubborn even to her.

"I am testing him Yeul. I have to see what he's really made of, if he's a man at all."

"Caius, this is dumb, this is torture. I want you to stop this now. He deserves to be treated like an actual person at least."

He ignored her comment and continued on with his 'test'. Finally he told me to stop. I had been cleaning the kitchen after dinner. I felt relieved because honestly I felt as if I would have broken if he had called it off a few seconds later. My whole body seemed to ache. I thought everything had gone well until he made his rude remarks about everything I lived for.

"I feel sorry for the soul who raised you. They couldn't even teach you how to be a man."

"You think you know me," I whispered, "Well you don't Caius. Why don't you just live in your own little world and leave me the hell out of it!"

My tone rose as I became more defensive. He made assumptions based off of my outward appearance; he didn't even know the half of what my life was. He looked amused at the fact that I had mouthed off to him. He slowly took steps toward me, his boots clicking against the floor. He smacked me hard across the face and then forced my chin to look at him.

"Try that again and we'll see where that gets you, slave."

** A/N: Sorry for not updating for a little bit, but here's chapter 5 for you all!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I should've known not to ever say anything idiotic in his presence. He wasn't afraid to show and take out his hatred on me. I didn't know if it was really me that was the problem or if there was another reason for his anger. I didn't care to know. I just wanted to hate him for everything.

After he slapped me, I retired to my bedroom. As soon as I hit the room, my tears started to come down. I wasn't sure if it was because of hatred, loving someone who was already married, or if it was because my cheek hurt from the hit. I just was confused about everything that was happening to me here. I wanted to leave, but at the same time I wanted to stay. I felt as if maybe it was a punishment from my parents for being a disappointment to them. My body felt weak and fragile. I fell to the floor towards a corner of the room. I just needed to relieve myself of all of the emotions that were swirling inside of me. I wanted to get back at him, but I knew that there was nothing I could do that would make him break. I thought about that for what seemed for a long time. Was I really becoming that kind of person? A person who always had to have revenge on someone when they were in the wrong? What would it even prove?

I ran my fingers through my brown hair as I thought. None of the solutions I was thinking about would be executed well. They all seemed to end in the same outcome, but I felt as though I had to do something. I didn't want to keep living like this. I didn't want to keep feeling unwanted.

"Caius, you made a fantastic impression on our guest today."

"Guest, He is in no way, shape, or form a 'guest'. Don't you understand that his life means nothing at all?"

"Caius, just hear me out for once, you always were a stubborn one. Will you just listen to me? Look, I'm not asking for you two to get along perfectly, but can you just try."

"Try to get along with him? How is this my fault? He's got such a horrid streak of talking back to me. Yeul, I don't like him and I probably never will!"

"Please," I could sense that she was tearing up because her voice became strained, "Just give him a chance."

"Who are you trying to impress Yeul? Why do you care about him so incredibly much?"

"Please, just apologize to him."

"Apologize to him? Are you kidding, Yeul he has no importance to me, you, or anyone. Why do you keep pretending to be a kind of 'angel' to him?"

"I'm not pretending. Listen, I'll drop it once you apologize."

It wasn't like I even wanted his apologize. He could have kept his fake apology and it wouldn't have hurt me one bit. I knew he hated me; I loathed him just as much. I didn't need him to pretend, even if it was for the sake of Yeul, to like me. _If I could find a way to get rid of him; I could kill him. _I heard a knock on the door that brought me out of all of my dark thoughts. I didn't say a word to acknowledge it, however, Caius walked in anyway. I heard footsteps trailing away from the room, which must have been Yeul walking away. He cleared his throat to indicate he was there.

"She wants me to apologize to you, so I'm sorry for making you feel unwanted, "he muttered, "Even though you are."

"Look Caius, I could give a rat's ass about your pretend apology. I could care less how you treat me too. You won, alright?"

"The dried tears on your face would tell me that you do care."

I looked away from him, not wanting to get into this right now. My fists clenched. I just wanted to prove to someone that I wasn't just an emotional wreck, that my emotions didn't make me weak. I wanted to cry out of anger and hit him with all of my might, but I knew that was an even worse idea than killing him. That's when a 'brilliant' idea hit me.

"So you apologized to me, what else do you want from me?"

He grabbed my chin slightly making me uncomfortable. He sure knew how to do that on a daily basis. I felt sick, even more than I had earlier.

"Listen, Noel. Stay away from Yeul."

My eyes widened. That seemed to be the last straw for me. It wasn't fair that he thought he could cut everything out of my life. He already made my life Hell and now he wanted to take everything that was good away from me too. What did he want from me? I didn't understand why did he take so much interest in me? Why did I, a simple 'slave' matter to him so much? I slowly dusted myself off and lied myself down in my bed. The thoughts didn't shut off immediately.

No matter what I did, I just couldn't sleep yet. I felt like it was time to put the plan that I had deviously made up into action. If I couldn't kill him, I could certainly take something away from him that he cared deeply for. I knew just what that was to him too, though he wouldn't have wanted anyone else to notice.

I took my leave from the room to find where she could be. I found Yeul outside, sitting on a decorative bench. She looked radiant, as the moon hit her white skirt, and the beads shining perfectly, which reflected on her face. It was quite a gorgeous site. I didn't see Caius around, so I sat myself next to her. Her eyes were closed and her fingers were clasped together. She had been making a wish. She opened her eyes slowly to see who it was. When she noticed it was just me, she smiled warmly.

"Did he apologize?"

"Of course," I said in order to ease her mind from him.

"I'm glad. I really am sorry, sometimes he takes his emotions to the extreme, but honestly I doubt it has anything to do with you."

"I understand. If I have to be a source to relieve those emotions from him, I don't mind. But, I didn't come out here to talk about that, to be honest."

She nodded, expecting me to talk more. Why would I tell her more, when I could show her instead? I was tired of hiding how I felt for her all because of him. I gently cupped her cheeks in my hands and rubbed my fingers against her soft features. Her cheeks turned a slight pink. I leaned in and kissed her lips gently. They tasted sweet, which matched her perfectly. As we kissed a slight wind approached us, our hair slightly covering each other's face. I pulled back slightly to see what she wanted. Her green eyes looked into mine. She leaned into me again. Our kiss intensified as our hands began to explore each other more. She placed her delicate fingers on my chest, so I did the same. I brushed up against her breast, she moaned slightly. I wanted to feel our skin against each other's. I reached for the ties to her shirt which were on her shoulders. She jerked away from me.

"We shouldn't. I'm sorry Noel, I… we… Caius. I love him."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do anything you weren't comfortable with."

"Goodnight, Noel."

Like that I had lost her, he had won yet again. I felt stupid, I shouldn't have done that. I realized that what happened between Yeul and I wasn't because of wanting revenge on Caius, but because I actually liked her. I wished she had felt the same way.

**A/N: … *no comment* o-o**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

I slept under the dim stars; I was too much of a coward to go inside to sleep in my room. I don't know what led me to kiss her. I think it was just my fear of being constantly alone. I usually had more control over myself. I felt another surge of disappointment swell inside me. What is wrong with me? Why do I always feel like this? My dreams were unpleasant, if you could even call them dreams. They all were nightmares waiting to strike.

The sun rise felt blinding; the light piercing through my eyelids. I had just started the morning and I was already shaking with fear. I could place the source to all of it, but there was no satisfaction in pointing fingers. I wanted to find a way out. A way that everyone could forget all the hope and trust they had placed in me. They'd all hate me if they knew the person that I had become. If there were a perfect solution I would have loved to have heard it, but there was nothing that didn't involve risks.

I was nervous to face Yeul or even think of her. She had every right and reason to treat me the way Caius did. Part of me wishes that she had. I was guilty and I wanted to find all of the words to form an apology with meaning, but who was I supposed to apologize to? I knew Caius would learn of what I had done with his flower for a wife. I knew I'd be punished. I knew I was starting to run out of chances. The beatings would get worse and one day I would break. Was it just easier to give in to him; to become the perfect slave? What did that mean I'd be giving up? I shook all of those thoughts away and prepared myself for when he did figure out what I had done. No matter how much planning I had, I figured that I wouldn't actually face it the way I thought out. I thought that if it did happen, I would close my eyes gently and allow my fate to take its desired course.

Once I finally felt comfortable enough with myself again, I gloomily stepped inside. I tried to focus on my usual routine, but something felt odd. It all seemed different. I realized that I hadn't seen Yeul the whole time. I hadn't even heard Caius's constant orders breathing down my neck. I sighed. When I first came here I thought it would be nice to have this kind of silence, if only for a day, but by that point I was already used to the noise. I craved it. It was the only way that I received attention. The silence just ate away at me; mocking me. Being alone was something that I didn't want to feel anymore. I couldn't pinpoint if it was truly being alone that I feared, or if it was the fear of being forgotten. There was no comfort in loneliness; comfort was the only thing I felt I needed. In all honesty, that was probably the reason I had for wanting to cling to Yeul. It was like she was dear life, and if you fell off of her stem, you were dead. You were never to wake again because you couldn't hang on any longer. She was a comfort, something that I desperately needed then. Hell, I would've done anything at that moment to even have Caius near me. Something to break the unescapable mocking in my head would have been a comfort.

I didn't see both of them the whole entire day, until I walked into the kitchen. Dinner was being prepared, Yeul still had a smile. I hoped that she had forgiven me for my previous actions. She had no hint on her face that it had even happened. It was like she had forgotten about it and I was the only one still feeling damned. I tried to force a weak smile for her, but I think it ended up being more strained then I had previously hoped.

Dinner was silent. Caius didn't say a word to Yeul or I. We simply stared at him, trying to fill the awkward situation, but no one could think of anything to fill it with. I knew that I was the question and the answer as to why we were all in an act of silence. I had made a mistake, something that I couldn't take back. No words in the universe could take it back. What I thought was a simple act of admiration was actually a simple step backwards. If I hadn't been so blind that night, if I hadn't kissed her, maybe things would have all taken a different path. After what seemed like eternity, Caius sighed. Yeul smiled and slowly walked away. She said something about returning to her chambers. I thought Caius was going to join her as soon as she left, but he had other plans.

"Caius-"I whispered softly from my side of the table. I had decided that night to eat closer to Yeul because I felt frightened of being near Caius in case he had an explosion of hatred toward me. He glared at me. I could feel all of his frustration and pain. Was it pain or was it hatred? I couldn't tell, because that was the first time I thought I could read some of his emotions.

"Shut up." I had no words. I kind of expected him to know something about it, but I wasn't expecting him to place all the puzzle pieces together so quickly. I hung my head down in shame, not feeling in the mood to argue.

"She didn't tell me Noel, I knew because I saw it. You kissed her then proceeded to bed her. Am I wrong? How did it feel to fuck someone else? Did you enjoy her?"

"We may have kissed, but I swear I… we never… went further than-"

"I didn't tell you to speak did I? I told you to stay away from her. You disobey me time and time again. If you think you can talk yourself out of any punishment, you are wrong."

"I don't… I never thought that I could. I just want you to listen. I want you to hear the truth."

"There is no truth in anything that you say. Shut up." I didn't respond. How could I? He already had it implanted in his mind that I had done more with her than I truly did. In his head I didn't stop at the kiss, but proceeded to make love to Yeul. I knew it wasn't true, she knew it wasn't true, but how could I possibly portray that to Caius? There was no way to. I was going to do what I had already planned. I wasn't going to beg for forgiveness nor was I going to beg and plead for him to not hurt me. I deserved a punishment. I deserved his punishment.

**A/N: **Woah, ehrm... hello there xD Sorry I've been gone for so long? Sorry for any mistakes? I'm glad that I finally wrote something for this (:

**To GetInTheAnimus: **hehe, hello there again. I'm probably the one who should be apologizing. Don't worry about it, lol I was hoping that I didn't scare you off because your reviews are lovely. Welcome back Antirrihinum! (: There are often times when I believe I am making my stories too dark, but yes the mature themes will continue to arise. ;_; *hands you a box of tissues* We shall all see how the Yeul, Caius, and Noel thing will continue (honestly, I lost my story notes a long time ago, so I'm probably just as lost as everyone else *cries*) Well, just think of the Caius thing as a test for now. I also hope to show his loving side as well, but for now thank you, I was hoping that I could get that part of him there. The relationship did escalate kind of quick, however, I don't know how long this story actually will be... but I'm glad that it's alright with you. Thank you for your kind reviews ^.^


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

He grabbed me by the ear and pulled me along. I wasn't sure how far he would take me; however, I knew it was still by the house. Once outside he found a tree that was not too far from the view of his bedroom window. There was no glass or stone to indicate it was a window, just an open hole that made the night breeze seem even cooler inside. I knew that Yeul had retreated back to her chambers, so she would not be too far from the events that were about to unfold. I guess Caius thought that I would be the one physically punished, while she would have the emotional punishment. I doubt he would ever admit that she was being punished for anything though.

I was thrown to the ground; my shirt being tugged at violently until it was over my head and discarded. In seconds I was being strapped to a tree by a buckle, my wrists screaming in agony before the actual punishment had even begun. He leaned close to my ear before whispering to me. It didn't sound like the rough kind that he always had with me. It seemed as though he was hesitant to say anything.

"Try not to scream too much."

I turned my head the other direction to escape from his lingering words. What did he mean by that? Why did he hesitate to say those threatening words? I closed my eyes; ready to endure everything that he thought I deserved. I felt the clashing leather whip against my skin. The tears formed at the bottom of my eyelids; threatening to fall at any given moment. It was one of the most painful experiences that I had ever had to live through. Desperate tiny screams escaped my lips each time it came down harshly against my bare back. I knew these would be imprinted on my skin for a long time, a kind of keepsake that would remind me that I was nothing more than a slave. I tried to hold back my tears, but they fell down my cheek with no mercy. I knew I shouldn't have kissed her. I should've just let my own feelings stay hidden. Maybe then she wouldn't have to hear my cries for help. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so powerless. She couldn't help me, even if she wanted to; I knew that from the start.

I felt like I was about to pass out from the abuse I had taken. Caius kept hitting me for what seemed like years to me, but was probably only a few minutes for him. I didn't know when it would finally stop. I sat there on my knees, tied against a tree, thinking. Yes, I was still crying from the pain and praying to Etro that she would help me, but my thoughts were devising a new plan. Instead of hating Caius or purposely doing things that I knew would piss him off, I thought maybe I could turn my attitude towards him around. Even though, I loved to think that I had done absolutely nothing to deserve what he was showing me, I realized that maybe he wouldn't have to punish me or "punish" Yeul, if I could just learn to be good. The only problem was that I didn't know how to please Caius. What kind of slave does he want me to be? How could I ask him without him thinking I was being disrespectful to his wishes? My mind wandered, until finally the whipping stopped. I snapped out of my thoughts immediately. It hurt to turn my neck, but I managed to slightly angle it to see him from the corner of my eyes. For a split second I thought he looked displeased, almost like he wasn't quite satisfied.

He untied my wrists; they were bloody and slightly swollen. The lines where the belt had dug into me were evident. I just sat there, frozen from the shock that my body had endured. I was waiting for him to show his signature smirk or for him to say something rude and threatening. I didn't hear a thing from him, just silence. Is there more torture and pain to come? I knew that my physical body didn't matter, he could never pierce through to my soul, but not even that thought comforted me. Had I become so accustomed to the pain, that when it wasn't there I felt empty inside? Finally the next move he had struck at full force. The necklace I had treasured for all these years, something that connected me to my village and my family, was torn off of my neck. There was nothing I could do about it. I had no words to speak. My mouth was still dry from the whipping, but now my mouth was dry due to the shock. Why would he take something so precious of mine? Was I broken? Was he the one who broke me?

I wanted to scream out. To shout at him until he gave it back, but I knew that would all be for nothing. I had to make sacrifices if I was going to survive my masters. All I could do was watch him go back inside the house with my necklace, as my body slumped more into the grass. I looked up at the sky and smiled. I didn't know why I was smiling. I had just been through hell and I was still in hell, but yet when I looked up it felt like there was nothing to worry about. I guess I realized that the necklace didn't define my love for my village or take away any memories I had. They were all still wrapped inside of me. Each and every one of them made me who I was.

**A/N: I would like to apologize for my long absence… school. I know this chapter was dark, I'm sorry Noel we all still love you. Anyway, this chapter took me such a long time, I just didn't know how exactly I wanted it to fold out, but then I just decided to stop planning it and just write the thing. **


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